Gone Baby Gone

It has been an interesting year at the Sandwich Shoppe. I started the blog as a New Year's resolution and lo and behold kept it for an entire year. I have learned, that I really enjoy writing and I hope you have enjoyed reading my musings.

Unfortunately, you won't be seeing a post for a couple of weeks as Mrs. MMMMBLT and I are going to travel the world. I'll be keeping detailed notes and upon our return will recount the tales in this very space.

Since I won't post January 1, here are my New Year's resolutions for 2010 (because when you put them in print you can't take them back).
- Finish writing my first book
- Start selling my MMMMBLT t-shirts and hats
- Watch less TV and play more video games
- See old friends and family more often
- Find a sport to master that I can become a professional at (thinking bowling)

2010 Predictions

With 2009 on the way out and we welcome 2010 in a couple of days. Now they we have spent a couple of weeks looking back at 2009 and the decade, it is time to look forward and no longer dwell on the old - bring on the new! Here is the Sandwich Shoppe's fearless (and somewhat illogical) predictions.


Five Predictions for 2010

1. The NBA stops play at the end of the regular season, and declare the Lakers champions so that the greatest off-season EVER can commence. With Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, David Lee, etc...all free agents the landscape of the NBA could change greatly with a couple of signings.

2. The Phoenix Coyotes are finally sold to Jim Balsillie who, in a radical move takes the team to Russia! The Coyotes officially defect from the NHL to the KHL. This allows the NHL to expand by a team and they decide to add a team in Las Vegas! The first major sport to expand into Sin City. People in Hamilton, Winnipeg and Quebec City are devastated.

3. NASCAR and IndyCar racing merge and work on a combined schedule where they race the same tracks every weekend to make super events. The IndyCar's go off on Saturday and the NASCAR guys and gals race on Sunday's. This would allow the best drivers to race against each other every weekend and fans would get tons of racing for their money.

4. Tiger Woods returns as the bad boy of golf. He parades a different women out at every tournament. He even dates Lindsay Lohan at one point. With his golf game going downhill quickly - right before the start of the PGA Championship he starts to date Kate Hudson and wins the tournament by 10 shots.

5. TV ruins sports. By this, I mean that the invention of HD and the PVR has changed the way we watch sports. As fans we are more critical of officials, more critical of of the broadcasters and we don't watch commercials anymore (except for during the super bowl). With the immediate nature that broadcasters give us replays and zoom in on controversial calls, it has started to ruin sports. There are several huge sporting events this year and at least one will be ruined by TV. The World Cup, Super Bowl, Olympics or all of the above will have a controversial call because of the TV broadcast and for one reason or another it will not be reviewed or changed and this will overshadow the spectacle.

6. 2010 Champions - NFL: SD Chargers, NBA: Denver Nuggets, NHL: LA Kings, MLB: Philadelphia Phillies, World Cup: England, Olympic Hockey: Not Canada, Oscars Best Movie: Up In The Air, NCAA Basketball: Syracuse, The Masters: Sergio Garcia, PBA Bowler of Year: Jason Thomas.

Top 5 Sports Stories of 2009

Honorable Mention:
-Canada's World Junior Hockey team wins a 5th straight championship.
-Alex Rodriguez overcoming PED scandal and going on to play well and win the World Series. A 27th in the history of the Yankees franchise.
-Roger Federer wins the French Open, the only asterisk is he didn't beat Nadal.
-Detroit Lions go winless (0-17) in an NFL season.
-UCONN women's basketball goes undefeated, 39-0, and win their 6th national title.
-Lance Armstrong returns to cycling, but can't win the Tour de France.
-Jimmie Johnson wins his 4th straight NASCAR title.


5. Steelers win 6th Super Bowl.
The Pittsburgh Steelers went to Tampa to face the upstart Arizona Cardinals. The Cards had turned around decades of frustration to finally make it to a Super Bowl. The Steelers would not roll over and hand them the victory. In an amazing game that featured the longest play in Super Bowl history (a 99 yard interception return by James Harrison), Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals then had an unbelievable 64 yd touchdown reception that split the Steelers defence, gave the Cards their first lead and gave them a great chance to win if the defence could hold. Big Ben wasn't having any of it though. He drove the length of the field, finally threading the needle to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds who tippy-toed in the back of the endzone to seal the victory for the black and gold. For his 135 yd performance, Holmes was given the MVP and Big Ben got his second Super Bowl ring.

4. Roughriders lose Grey Cup.
Your typical Canadian football game. Back and forth scoring, some timely defense and special teams that actually mean something. This game, unlike the Super Bowl won't be remembered for who won (Montreal Alouettes) as it will for who lost (Saskatchewan Roughriders). In a very pro-Roughriders environment in Calgary, the Als had a field goal attempt on the final play of the game for the win. The field goal attempt sails wide and it looked for the moment that the Green Riders would take home the Grey Cup. Unfortunately, the 13th man, which throughout most of the game was the fans, in this case was an actual player and the penalty on Saskatchewan allowed the Als to retry their field goal from 5 yards closer and this time kicker David Duval was true and split the uprights for the Montreal win.

3. Usain Bolt is fastest man alive.
Have to say this one quickly. Jamaica's Usain Bolt who came to prominence during the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 had another world stage to showcase his personality and quick twitch muscles. This time the venue was Berlin and the World Track and Field Championships. Bolt quickly (and I mean quickly) brought the world to its feet by running a blistering 9.58 in the 100m and then ran a 19.19 in the 200m to cement himself as the fastest human being ever.

2. Barcelona FC wins 6 championships.
This amazing event flies under the radar because it happened over the whole year and not in one game or under 20 seconds. FC Barcelona became the first football team ever to win six out of six competitions in a single year thus completing the sextuple, comprising the 2008–09 La Liga, 2008–09 Copa del Rey, 2009 Supercopa de España, 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, 2009 UEFA Super Cup and 2009 FIFA Club World Cup. Similar to American sports where trades or transfers are now becoming more common and dynasties are less likely this will probably never happen again.

1. Tiger Woods.
Where to start with this one. Is it Tiger winning Golfer of the Year, Athlete of the Decade or 6 tournaments this year on the PGA tour. Perhaps it is the other side of the coin, maybe the biggest story is Tiger LOSING to YE Yang in the PGA Championship, after leading on a Sunday Woods did something he hadn't done before, gave up the lead. The real story of the year in this one though is Tiger Woods's fall from grace. That link pretty much says it all.


What was your top sports story of the year?

All I Want For Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, everyone is flooding to malls to sit on Santa's lap making their wishes for the gifts that they want to find under the tree.

The guys that haven't had time to get to the mall, are the athlete's. So to help Santa out, here is a list of some stuff that these guys are looking for.

NBA
Carl Landry - new front teeth

Jose Calderon - his starting job back from Jarret Jack when he returns from injury

Chris Bosh - a haircut and a contract south of the border

Demar DeRozan - a spot in the slam dunk contest

LeBron James - some teammates that can help him win

NHL
Jonas Gustavsson - a new heart (sorry too soon...)

NHL - a brain - how do you want to change the names of your awards?

MISC
Don Cherry - a new sport coat from the Craig Sager collection

Craig Sager - a new sport coat from the Don Cherry collection

Tiger Woods - a sponsorship contract with Ashley Madison

MLB
Toronto Blue Jays - an Ace pitcher. After trading away Doc they need someone to win games.

NY Yankees - some bail out money from the US Government. After acquiring Javier Vazquez they are over the $200 million payroll mark

Jason Bay - a contract offer. the new economy has left the Canuck looking for employment, why not Toronto?

NFL
Micheal Vick - a new dog...ohh maybe a bad idea

Brett Favre - a sledge hammer to the knee cap (yes, I am a Packers fan)

Buffalo Bills - a starting QB and a coach who is awake on the sidelines

Clay Matthews - defensive rookie of the year!


That is just a start...what do you think some athletes need to find under their tree this holiday season.

Bowled Over

The NCAA football season is almost over.

After almost four months of games to decide the best team in the country we are down to the final two, or is it final four? In the official BCS championship game, Alabama will take on Texas. We also have two undefeated teams in the Fiesta Bowl TCU and Boise State. So who gets the number one spot at the end of Bowl week - no doubt the winner of the Alabama vs. Texas. Deservedly so. They played the toughest schedules and proved over the course of the season that they are the two best teams and will get to play a game to decide the champion.

This is what everyone wants, this is what they got this year (and for the past number of years), but that doesn't stop people from complaining that the BCS is broken and why is football the only sport in the NCAA that doesn't have a tournament to decide a champion. The proponents of this say that it makes the regular season the most important in sports and they are right. Every game is do or die. One loss can make your season meaningless (ask Oregon when they lost to Boise St in the season opener).

Since football is one game that on any given Sunday (or Saturday in this case) where one team can beat another this does seem very odd, so to fix this problem, here is what the Sandwich Shoppe proposes;

All the conferences stay as they are with the exception of the Big 10 or Big East who accept Notre Dame, Navy and Army into the division. It would be weird for Notre Dame to join the Big 10 since they are already in the Big East for basketball and other sports, but it would be fun if they joined the Big 10 because there are some great rivalries (ND vs. Michigan, ND vs. Penn St.) and it would be great to see what the Big 10 logo would become.

So here we go. Each division plays an 8 game schedule. All games would be within there own division. This would unfortunately eliminate some great inter-conference rivalries, but so be it. After those 8 weeks, we will have champions of each conference. The conferences that have east and west or north and south would still crown champs on both sides. Those champions would make it into the Bowl Championship Series. 16 teams in total. The breakdown would be;

ACC - 2
SEC - 2
Big East
Big 10
Big 12 - 2
Conf USA - 2
Mid America - 2
Mountain West
PAC 10
Sun Belt
WAC

Now the polls only matter to rank the teams 1-16 for the tournament. Just because a team like TCU isn't ranked at the start of the season, doesn't mean they can't make the BCS and there ranking would still be high enough at the end of 8 weeks to get a good seeding in the tourney.

From here it is single elimination and we get to name all the playoff games so the sponsors are happy.

The first round games (8 in total) are played over two weekends, 4 each weekend. Imagine football at 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm for two Saturdays in a row!

Then you have 8 teams remaining (4 games) can again play over two weekends, followed by the final four played on the same Saturday and then the finals being whenever the BCS wanted.

These would be huge ratings generators and alot of fun to watch. Plus it would spread out over 6 weeks, making the season - 14 weeks about what it is now.

Over at Deadspintoday they linked to this playoff predictor for 2009.

Here is how my system would have played out;
#1 Alabama
#16 Temple

#8 Ohio State
#9 Georgia Tech

#5 Florida
#12 Central Michigan

#4 TCU
#13 Troy

#6 Boise State
#11 Houston

#3 Cincinnati
#14 Clemson

#10 Nebraska
#7 Oregon

#15 East Carolina
#2 Texas


In the end, for me, I think Florida plays Texas in the finals. Tebow doesn't lose twice to Alabama and then beats Texas in the finals to cap his unbelievable college career.

Best of 2009 - Rap

Another list you say...well yeah.

The best of year lists have taken a back seat to best of the decade list this winter. The Sandwich Shoppe doesn't have the memory to go back all the way to 2000 and make sure I hit everything I want to say, so year end list will have to do for y'all.

Music is the way of the world, people walk around constantly with ear phones in, tv shows and commercials now show you which songs they are playing and every artist can create a huge fan base on myspace or facebook. With so much music out there, how do you know which albums to download?

Here is the top 5 rap albums of 2009 that I downloaded;

Honourable Mention: Eminem - Relapse, Jadakiss - The Last Kiss, K-Os - Yes!, Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse, Wiz Khalifa - Deal or No Deal, Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx 2

5. Drake - So Far Gone/Wale - Attention:Deficit/Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: Had to have a three way tie here. Each could have made the list on their own, but the couldn't really decide who the freshman of the year was. Drake's album was a little slow, but his delivery is on point and had some of the biggest singles this year. Wale had a album full of great wordplay and some great production, but his first mixtape (Back to the Feature) might actually be better. Kid Cudi experimented the most on his release. With some futuristic production and thought provoking lyrics, Kid Cudi will be force in 2010.

4. Cam'ron - Crime Pays: This album had big replay value in my ipod from the week before the release date. Cam has catchy lyrics and hooks, including "My Job" and "Get It In Ohio". He makes up words and sayings that I repeat ad nauseum. Overall, a very good album and something that will keep you nodding your head in your whip.

3. Fabolous - Loso's Way: Fab stepped up his game for this album. Again, huge replay value for this album. It featured many singles (5 in total) including the gem "throw it in the bag" and "Money Goes, Honey Stay" featuring Jay-Z. This album can hang with the best out this year. A great effort from a rapper that has been great at putting out singles, but never a complete effort, this changes that.

2. Clipse - Til The Casket Drops: After a couple of under the radar releases the duo of Malice and Pusha T have released an unbelievable album. Die hard fans have been waiting for this release. Featuring appearances from rap heavyweights Kanye West, Cam'ron and r&b sensation Keri Hilson along with production and appearances from Pharell this album is another you can listen all the way through. With songs like "popular demand" and "kind of like a big deal" it is leaving fans with a reason to look forward to their next album

1. Jay-Z - Blueprint III: Kind of cliche to put Shawn Carter in this spot, but it really was the best album. Great singles and a song that will be an anthem for NYC for years to come (Empire State of Mind). Jay-Z also put an end to the autotune era with "Death of Autotune". Not only did he shine on this album, he made names out of a couple of up and coming emcee's, Kid Cudi, J.Cole and r&b artist Mr. Hudson. A Jay-Z release can never be slept on and this was no different, just check out some of his word play. Trying to figure out all of the Blueprint III will take until Blueprint IV comes out...


Hope you enjoyed the list and if you are looking for any of these albums electronically, just drop me a line in the comments and I'll hook you up.

Who To Cheer For?

The saga of Roy Halladay is over. The Toronto Blue Jays finally made the move to trade there second best pitcher of the all-time.

Halladay, the Cy Young award winner for the Jays in 2003 and the ace of the staff has been dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies. In return the Blue Jays get three top prospects from the Phillies. The players they did receive are not names the average fan will recognize;

*C Travis d'Arnaud (from Philadelphia)
*RHP Kyle Drabek (from Philadelphia)
*OF Michael Taylor (from Philadelphia)

The Jays then immediately traded Taylor to Oakland for 1B/3B Brett Wallace (who the A's acquired in the deal last year that sent Matt Holliday to the Cardinals). For more details on those prospects check out Mop Up Duty.com

It doesn't look like any of these prospects will play in the majors next season, which will be a disappointment to fans who will feel the Jays didn't get enough in return for the "best pitcher in baseball". This is probably true, but in the end GM Alex Anthopoulos's hands were tied and hopefully a couple of these guys turn into major league players.

These however leaves Toronto in a bit of a bind. Who do Toronto fans cheer for now?

All of the professional sports teams that play in Toronto, have lost or will lose its major sports figures in a period of two years.
-> Toronto Maple Leafs - Mats Sundin gone
-> Toronto Blue Jays - Roy Halladay gone
-> Toronto Raptors - Chris Bosh - going in June
-> Toronto FC - Danny Dichio - gone

With the holidays around the corner, which jersey does a parent buy for a kid? There is no player currently on any of the Toronto teams that fans will feel comfortable walking around the city wearing that jersey.

Would you were the jersey of the overpaid and aging Vernon Wells? What about Alex Rios who tells fans to fuck off? Nope didn't think so.

What about the hockey team. They can't even name a captain, so who do you wear on your back? The jersey of the goalie that no one trusts (Toskala) or the one of the guy that won't play again because of his bad heart (the Monster).

Don't even get me started on the basketball team. The Raptors try to make the splash and sign a big name free agent in Turkoglu, but 20 games into his first season has been a disappointment and PLEASE don't get your hopes up that Bosh or another big name free agent (Joe Johnson, David Lee) will sign in Toronto.

In these situations, do what I like to do...go for the classics, buy a Sittler jersey, wear that Willie Upshaw jersey to the Dome this summer and by all means break out the Mugsy Bogues jersey.

NBA Watchability Index

Everyone and their mother has power rankings and top 10 lists, so here is another...

NBA Watchability Index

Pretty entertaining list. He even had the sensibility to put the Raptors at #9. Which is true, the Raptors are fun to watch. They have a high uptempo game, score lots of points and they give up a lot of points. That second part is frustrating for fans of the Raptors, but it is something we have learned to live with.

Keep it up boys, but will it change next year without Bosh? To be determined...

I Bet You....

"Scared money never wins" - that is the adage of many gamblers. You cannot be afraid to lose money, just like in life you need to be positive and those good vibes will come back to you.

Gambling is becoming a bigger part of everyday life. Whether it is the growth of Fantasy sports games, online poker and even soccer clubs advertising gambling sites on their jerseys, risking your money is all around.

I wish I had the cojones to bet and win big, but I am more of a $2 Pro-Line kind of guy. I feel like I could win if I did bet, but I think that is the problem with alot of gambling.

A couple of great gambling stories have made it onto the interwebs recently, thought I should pass them around even further and I'm not even linking to anything Tim Donaghy...

He Lost $127 Million in Las Vegas
You think you had a bad beat at the poker table this weekend when the guy across from you hit the spade on the river? Nothing you can say will top Terrance Watanabe's story.

Picking (Up) Winners Without Placing a Bet
H/T to Darren Rovell for posting this story on his twitter feed. This is a man who turned his personal loss (throwing out a $900 winning horse racing ticket) into something...

What If...

In his recent book, ESPN.com writer Bill Simmons dedicates a chapter of his Book of Basketball to "what if's". For example, what if the Portland Trail Blazers had drafted Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie or what if this or that trade didn't happen, where would players be, how would have championships been handed out differently.

This is a small take on that. What if players could come home again? For some players this happens - look at Allen Iverson this week. After struggling last season with the Pistons and appearing in only three game for the Memphis Grizzlies this season, he was signed by the team he started his career with - the Philadelphia Sixers. Philadelphia has embraced him again and he will work his derriere off for the fans to show his appreciation.

On the flip side of the coin is someone like Roger Clemens. After Clemens worked his way out of favor with Red Sox nation, there was no way the fans at Fenway would ever accept him back, even if a World Series was at stake.

A couple of other examples, you let me know in the comments below if you think they would be welcomed home;

- Barry Bonds: Bonds the home run king was run out of baseball after all the steroid allegations. His original team the Pittsburgh Pirates are in dire straits. They need to attract fans to the ball park and bringing back Bonds would be one way to do this. The fans in San Francisco loved Bonds because he was there bad guy, would fans in Pittsburgh feel the same, I think they would.

- Brett Favre: Favre retired a Packer. Then he retired a NY Jet. Now he is a Minnesota Viking. Although the Packers aren't his original team - the Atlanta Falcons are, many people consider the Packers and Favre inseparable. After all that has transpired with Favre even a one day press conference so he can "retire" a Packer seems to be out of the question.

- Matt Sundin: Had to throw a former Toronto Maple Leaf in the mix. Sundin is another player who retired only to figure out that he still had some juice left in his legs and played his final season with the Vancouver Canucks. Again, the Leafs weren't his original team, but the Quebec Nordiques don't exist anymore. If the Leafs needed someone for a playoff push would they welcome the captain back? With open arms, I say. The blue and white jerseys with number 13 would be all you would see.

- Vince Carter: Do I even have to write this paragraph? After being traded in 2004 to the New Jersey Nets for a bag of pucks, Carter made comments that he didn't give his all while a Raptor and has repeatedly smiled, laughed and "doesn't understand" why Raptors fan boo him whenever he returns to the Air Canada Centre. If a Toronto Raptors General Manager EVER tried to bring him back, he would be punted onto Bay Street faster than you can say "Vincent Lemar Carter"

- Joe Montana and Jerry Rice: Although both are now retired, they finished there storied careers with teams other than the one they made their biggest splash, the San Francisco 49ers. Montana went on to play two seasons with the KC Chiefs, while Rice played bounced around to the Raiders and Seahawks before going to training camp with the Broncos. He never played in a game and then retired (and I guess we have our answer to my quesion) on August 19, 2006 the San Francisco 49ers announced that Rice would sign a contract with them, allowing him to retire as a member of the team where his career began. On August 24, he officially retired as a 49er, signing a one-day contract for $1,985,806.49. The number represented the year Rice was drafted (1985), his number (80), the year he retired (2006), and the 49ers (49). The figure was ceremonial, and Rice received no money. Obviously, Montana and Rice meant alot to the 49ers franchise and both would have been welcomed back at the end of their playing days.

Who else can you think of and would they be welcomed home?

Holiday Gift Guide

It is officially the first holiday shopping weekend in December. Many parents, wives and girlfriends will be hitting the malls and big box shops to get presents for loved ones. We all know they aren't any males out shopping this early.

So to help all the female shoppers out there, here is a list of all the things that many males in my age bracket wanted over the years and never got. If anyone is reading this (hint: wife) you can get anything on this list for us and we will super happy when we unwrap our new toy.

10. Ninja Stars, Numchucks and a Ninja Sword
All you have to do is have a quick look at my movie review of Ninja Assassins to understand the male obsession with ninjas. There weapons are cool, you can hurt others and yourself!

9. GI Joe Battleship
The ultimate GI Joe toy. Along with the base this was a must have that most kids never got because parents didn't want to put it together.

8. Computer Watch
The digital watch took a big turn when they started adding fun features like a full keyboard that allowed to leave yourself messages and calculate 6x8 during math tests.

7. 8 Ball, Georgetown Hoyas or LA Raiders Jacket
A must have fashion statement. No matter what sports team you like, you can always wear a Georgetown or Raiders jacket. The 8-Ball is a classic, don't knock it.

6. Optimus Prime
The ultimate Transformers toy. This was the showpiece of a kid's collection. If you didn't have Prime you were relegated to playing second fiddle with Megatron or Bumblebee.

5. Nike Air Jordan's
Whether you are 8 or 38 you can still appreciate the Air Jordan. Every new season you would walk into the Foot Locker and see the new colours and styles. I could have received a new pair every year and been super happy. Also, Jordan's are one of the only acceptable article of clothing kids will be okay to receive.

4. Hulk Hogan figure and WWF Wrestling Ring
Some of the most fun toys to own because you were supposed to destroy them. You wanted to give them marks from the boots of other wrestlers. Having the ring topped everything else, because rubber bands and tape could only take you so far.

3. SEGA Game Gear
After Nintendo released the Game Boy in 1989 which changed the lives of children forever allowing them to take video games on the road, Game Gear was the next evolution. Color graphics, better controls, but no one got this because we all had Game Boy and didn't need another video game console - whatever!

2. Star Wars Millennium Falcon
Bigger than the GI Joe Battleship and Optimus Prime together, the Millenium Falcon was the TOY. Nothing else comes close to the power of being the kid on the block with the Millenium Falcon.

1. Willie Upshaw Blue Jays Jersey
One of the all-time favorite Jays, he was an integral part of the teams that helped the Jays make the playoffs for the first time. Just when they were turning the corner to being contenders for the next 7-8 years they traded the slugger to Cleveland. I cried in my corn flakes that morning, but would still love to sport a #26 jersey to the SkyDome next summer.

IPhone Is Crazy With The Apps

Now you must understand, I don't own an Iphone, but if the kind people at Apple and Telus feel the need for me to try out their product, I will not hesitate.

Every now and then, I come across a posting that features some new "app" on the Iphone and since I only know a couple of people with the phone, I don't get to share or try out these apps. If I had a phone the 32gb would be filled in no time flat. Here are a couple of recent apps to try;

Delicious Vinyl DJ App
Delicious Vinyl and Ten23 Software are proud to announce Delicious Vinyl DJ, a new music rhythm game exclusively available for the iPhone and iTouch.. Delicious Vinyl DJ puts anyone with an iPhone inside the DJ booth and behind the decks cutting and scratching across the greatest golden era hip-hop tracks ever!


Klucker Chicken Wing Finder
The Iphone app that that lists more than 20,000 restaurants that serve chicken wings in its database.


Do you have a great iphone app that you'd like to share - there is app for that...

Olympic Flame Is Burning

In just 74 days (at the time of posting) the Olympic flame will be lit in Vancouver and the world will watch as amateur athletes (and some pro ones - looking at you hockey) take centre stage for two weeks.

Before the Olympics start one of the best traditions in sport is that the Olympic flame is lit in Greece and then makes the trek to whatever country is hosting. From ground zero, the "official torch relay" begins. The host country will organize a run across the country to promote the games and get to get everyone involved. Make them feel special. This is happening in Canada right now...

The torch has been to the northern most points in the Yukon, all the way East to PEI and Nova Scotia and is now making its way back West to Vancouver for the start of the Olympics in February.

This is where the torch relay gets interesting. Currently, it is going through Quebec. The torch path is lined with locals trying to get a quick glimpse of the flame and every one in the crowd is waving - Canada flags?

That is right, the province that is constantly trying to be its own boss, implement its own laws and even wants to enter its own athletes in the Olympics, has people waving Canadian flags, instead of the fleur de lys. Now I am not saying that some Quebecois aren't patriotic, but there are a good number of Quebecois that would rather separate from Canada, and have made no secret about it during the past 20 years.

Even though a significant portion of the population is anti-Canadian, the organizers of the relay have treated them the same as the rest of Canada leading up to the most patriotic of events - the Olympics. I am pretty sure the rest of Canada would appreciate seeing more of the torch.

Nothing brings a country together like the Olympics and maybe the torch relay going through Quebec will allow people realize that it isn't that bad being attached to the rest of Canada.

Weekend Movie Reviews

Although it isn't Thanksgiving here in Canada, even North of the border people are still excited about the big sales on "Black Friday" and it is a reason to consume some turkey, even if it is only in sandwich form. It is also typical that there are a couple of big movies that open to appease those that aren't sports fans.

So to help all those both North and South of the border, here are my weekend movie reviews. What to keep in mind when reading these reviews is that I have NOT seen any of these films. I am basing my reviews strictly on the trailers that I have seen and maybe an interview I saw on Ellen or Access Hollywood.

I'll give each film a rating in buckets of popcorn. The best a film can achieve is 5 buckets of popcorn (the amount I think I could eat during a film) and the worst is 1 bucket of popcorn, because let's be honest, you always finish your popcorn before the movie starts anyways.

Ninja Assassin
Starring: A bunch of people you never heard of
Review: If you are a male aged 13-18 you will love this film because Ninjas are the coolest thing ever. If you are a female aged 13-18 you will hate this movie because boys are stupid for trying to punch and kick each other. Now if you are a male aged 18-99 you will love this movie because Ninjas are the coolest thing ever. Basically that is really all you need to know about this movie. There is probably some really well choreographed fight scenes involving many people attacking the hero, but not at the same time. The hero also probably has to rescue some family member or avenge a family member and he has to do this by killing people - becoming the Ninja Assassin!
Rating: Since I am a guy - 4 buckets of popcorn



Old Dogs
Starring: John Travolta and Robin Williams
Review: Two old guys (Travolta and Williams) who are not parents and know nothing about parenting get roped into taking care of twins, and hilarity ensues. Unfortunately, we have seen movies like this numerous times before and there are no new tricks for these old dogs. Slapstick humour, falling over things and the lowest of the low - stupid animal tricks are all prominent in this movie that is two hours longer than it needs to be. The saving grace here is the performance of Seth Green and we should see him headlining some of these comedies in the coming years.
Rating: Old Dogs should be put to sleep - 1 bucket of popcorn



The Blind Side
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Micheal Oher
Review: In this "Disney-fied" version of the book of the same name written by Michael Lewis, we follow the trials and tribulations of Michael Oher. Oher was a kid on the streets when he was picked up by a nice family and given a home. Just so happens in this home they were football wild and Michael Oher is a mountain of a man and is really good at the game. Michael is turned into an upstanding, educated man and a gifted athlete by the family, or as we learn by Sandra Bullock. The football aspect of what was told in the book doesn't really come across in the movie, but it is an inspirational story none the less.
Rating: The Tuohy family doesn't get sacked in this film - 3 buckets of popcorn

2010 Watch: Chris Bosh Edition

The following passage is from Dan Shanoff over at the Sporting News, during his "wake-up call" article yesterday (November 24/09)...

2010 Watch: Chris Bosh is definitely leaving the Raptors, and here's my pop psychology why: Bosh deeply resents that he is virtually anonymous playing in Canada, while other NBA stars have blown up playing in the States.

Bosh WANTS, desperately, to be a well-recognized star, and that will only happen if he is playing in New York, or alongside LeBron or Wade. LeBron and Wade may stay with their current teams; Bosh will join them -- or grab the limelight for himself in NYC. And if the Knicks accept that LeBron and Wade aren't coming to them, they should focus on Bosh, playing to his interest in being a star.

That is a mouthful and shouldn't really surprise any Raptors fans. It isn't a well-kept secret that Chris Bosh wants to test the free agent market next summer with the likes of LeBron, DWade and Joe Johnson among others, but I don't really think that they are for the reasons that Shanoff speaks of here.

Chris Bosh is not anyonymous playing in Toronto. If he was, he wouldn't be an All-Star, he wouldn't have made the USA basketball team, and he wouldn't have gotten into a war of words with Shaq.

Bosh really understands how to market himself (twitter, youtube videos) and he does it extremely well. He might have the desire to be "star" in the basketball community and that is why he does all this marketing, but it has worked. He is a known commodity and he has done it while playing basketball in Canada.

CB4 will probably end up signing with the Knicks so he can be the centre of attention when LeBron stays put in Cleveland, but he won't be any happier. What affects Bosh the most is his desire to win. Bosh only talks of leaving Toronto when the team is on a losing streak or after a bad loss when he puts up exceptional numbers, but doesn't get the support of teammates.

Bosh knows that to be more marketable you need to play for a winner and if he signs with the Knicks he will still be years away from being on a winning team. Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo has tried on a couple of seperate occasions now to put the pieces around Bosh to help him win in Toronto. This would bring the spotlight of the playoffs to him, which apparently is what he craves. Unfortunately, these experiments have failed to date (Marion, Jermaine O'Neal, Kapono). Colangelo has tried again this year, adding nine new players.

Teams vying for his service in 2010, including the Raptors, have to decide if Bosh is actually a star player who can guide a team deep in the playoffs or is he just a supporting player to a bigger star - basically, is he better suited to play Robin to Batman, instead of being Batman.

Bosh understands what being the centre of attention is like. He shares a building with the beloved Toronto Maple Leafs. He sees the hockey-crazed city and how it has treated its star players Mats Sundin and now Phil Kessel. He knows there would be a lot of pressure put on him to win when he arrives in his new destination. As much as he loves the spotlight, how would he react to getting booed at the Gardens? Could he handle the microphones being shoved in his face? Being on the back of the NY Post with the negative headlines? Those are things that are reserved for the hockey team in Toronto, not the basketball team.

The headlines he apparently craves would arrive with wins, no matter what city he is playing in.

Put Me In Coach...

It isn't easy being a coach.

Whether you are a volunteer parent coaching kids or a well paid man coaching 53 professional football players there are many stresses, hand holding and decisions that have to be made. Some are better than others, and right now we seem to have very few good ones.

Two situations highlighted this over the weekend;
Les Miles at LSU Tigers vs. Ole Miss Rebels. LSU was considered a national title contender but have already lost twice and were trying to continue almost a decade worth of winning vs. Ole Miss. The Rebels played a spirited game and took the lead into the last minute of the game - 35-34, but LSU had the ball and were threatening, just needing a field goal to win. After making a couple of bad plays on first and second down the LSU QB took a sack on 3rd down to set up a 4th and 26 with just under 30 seconds left, but for some inexplicable reason, they don't call a timeout until there were 9 seconds, they let 21 seconds expire. Hail Mary play and miraculously the receiver pulls it down with one second on the clock (think they could have used those extra seconds?). At this point Coach Les Miles had to run out his field goal unit for a chip shot to win the game. The players aren't ready, so the offense stays on the field for the final play and with only one second on the clock the QB for some unexplainable reason, spikes the ball, the clock expires and the LSU Tigers lose. With one second left, don't you just throw the ball in the endzone if you aren't going to kick the field goal to win.

After the game Coach Miles said that there wasn't time to get the field goal unit on the field. I disagree. Last year, the Denver Broncos pulled off something similar at the end of the first half of a game versus the Buffalo Bills. Later, it was shown that Coach Miles was actually yelling at his QB to down the ball. The player was so confused he just did what his coach told him.

Coaches need to be in control and understand the game situations, getting paid as much as Coach Miles does, he needs to know how to handle this and WIN the game.

The other coaching situation that put the lack of coaching skills on display was in the NFL. Brand new Buffalo Bills interim coach Perry Fewell had a brain cramp at the end of the first half with five seconds left and the ball at the Jacksonville 7 yard line. With a timeout remaining, the Bills had a chance to take one shot at the endzone to try for a touchdown. If they succeed, they go into the half with a commanding lead, if they fail, call your last timeout and kick the field goal. Coach Fewell by choosing a running play allowed the clock to expire. The Jags looked to have a victory, but one of the referees took pity on the first time coach and granted him his timeout. The Bills kicked the field goal and ended up losing the game by 3 points - think they could have used the extra 4 points a touchdown would have given them?

Other more seasoned NFL coaches are notorious for mis-managing clock, from Andy Reid to Norv Turner. Why can't these guys get it right? When every fan at home is screaming at the TV for a coach to call a timeout or run a play into the endzone and then they do the complete opposite...ESPN's Bill Simmons has been calling for teams to hire 16 year old kids that play Madden to help with clock management at the end of games. Better yet, why not just hire another coach? They have too many as it is and it is the one thing that isn't capped (like player salaries). If it helps you win a game, that coach could be more valuable than you Assistant Long Snapping Coach.

All Hands On Deck

By now I assume most sports fans saw the highlights of the World Cup qualifiers yesterday which yielded some exciting finishes, surprises and one controversy that won't go away. The controversy is what we will examine today at the Shoppe.

With the game in extra time, and both France and Ireland needing a goal to advance to South Africa for the World Cup, the ball was played in by a France midfielder to two (2) France players in offside position, the linesman didn't see it that way and play continued. Then, France forward and scoring threat Thierry Henry tried to gain control of the ball along the touch line and did so using his hands (which is illegal in soccer), not once, but twice - which went uncalled by the referee - then played the ball across the mouth of the goal where it was tipped in and France advances to the World Cup.

In sports, the referee is the final word, and in this case, the referee and his assistants were not in the proper spots to make the correct calls. This happens in all sports - a baseball umpire being on the wrong side of the bag, a football referee not being along the endzone line or trying to avoid being hit and missing a call, a hockey ref not being stationed behind the net properly to see if the puck crossed the line. Being in the right place is part of the training referees go through, but sometimes situations can't be avoided (like evading a 260 lbs linebacker), but thankfully sports have found a solution for this problem - the instant replay!

With the amount of TV coverage at almost all professional and college games, leagues have taken advantage of this by introducing instant replay. It works on a limited basis for most leagues, but there is always a play that happens that for some reason isn't allowed to be "challenged" by replay. Those are the ones that seem to swing games or playoff series.

Whether it is a pass interference play in football or trapping the ball in baseball why won't leagues allow replay to be used for all plays? One argument is always time. If leagues allowed all plays to be reviewed, then the games would move slower then they already are. Who really needs a 6hr Red Sox vs. Yankees game - oh wait those already happen, thank you Joe Girardi.

Realistically though, all plays are reviewed. Don't the TV networks show you replays of almost every pitch, basket or football play? It would make the most sense to have a permanent replay official at all the stadiums or arenas who basically watches TV and contacts the official on the field if something is wrong before the next play starts. It is too simple of a solution to really work.

For example, the booth official is watching the France vs. Ireland soccer game. Approximately 5 seconds after the goal is scored Setanta was already showing a replay of what was thought to be the winning goal. The replay official clearly sees that the goal should be disallowed because of either being offside or handball. He signals the decision to the ref via a pager and before Henry and his teammates even can line up to kick the ball back into play, the goal is wiped off the score board and play continues. Was that so hard?

Soccer has experimented with replay technology in the past, going so far as to put microchips in the ball so that when it crossed the goaline, a buzzer would go off and the ref alerted to a score. This was eventually scrapped after testing because the technology was actually affecting the ball and how it behaved. Unfortunately, this must have left a bad taste in their mouths and now, without the use of replay a country is going to the World Cup without winning fair. Ireland is asking for a replay of the entire match, which I doubt they will receive, and therefore it will be a long 4 years for the Irish fans.

In all of this replay mess, fans just want the correct call. They know the refs, umpires and linesman are human and make mistakes, but with the technology to get the calls right, we can fix these small problems.

Are You Hurt or Are You Injured?

This story came to light for me after reading about it in The Sun (UK) via Deadspin and Unprofessional Foul.

If you didn't take time to click on the link, the quick and dirty of it is that Manchester United player Gabriel Obertan, a 20 year-old phenom who is getting paid 20 000 pounds per week recently injured his back and was unable to play. This is a player who is the future of the Red Devils and is now starting for the squad on a regular basis. While injured the club thought the bright lights, big city and cash would get in the way of his healing and decided to assign him some light labour to keep his head screwed on tight. Obertan was made to trim the bushes (not in a Ronaldo type way), wash the cars of senior executives and keep the grounds looking fine.

He apparently did all this without complaint, worked hard and is now fully recovered and back to playing with the starting eleven.

After speaking of bad boys like Stephen Jackson, Allen Iverson and John Rocker yesterday, do you think any of those guys would do this kind of work? For that matter, do you think any North American professional athlete would take this kind of treatment?

Quick example - the Toronto Maple Leafs in the offseason signed the goaltender of the future, Jonas Guftasson. A player that was going to backstop the Leafs to the playoffs (don't want to say Stanley Cup and get all carried away). He impressed during training camp with his size, reflexes and Swedish charm.

Early in the season though, after taking the number one goalie spot away from Vesa Toskala, Guftasson went down with an injury. There are plenty of ways to get distracted during your recovery while in Toronto, especially for a hockey player who made a big early splash. It seems that Jonas, was a good boy and has recovered nicely from his boo-boo and is back on the ice, but would it have been prudent for GM Brian Burke to make Jonas, say sweep up the arena after games to earn his cheque. Maybe the goalie could have been used to wipe all the new windows at the ACC in between games. Just think, it would be just like the training Daniel Laruso did!

In principal I like what Man U was thinking here. Make their player earn his keep and keep him involved in the day to day activities of the team. The only way North American teams can seem to involve injured players is by making them show up to charity functions. I think alot of this has something to do with a players loyalty to a franchise, but that can be a subject for another day...

Bad Boys

They are a part of every sport - players that have a reputation for being troublemakers off the field, problems in the locker room or for that matter, trouble on the field.

Teams must always weigh the decision whether the problems on and off the court will be worth the wins, public relations nightmares and negative fan reaction to signing or trading for such a player.

One of the players in the "ESPN Era" that started this would be John Rocker. After making inflammatory comments in a Sports Illustrated piece he was basically run out of baseball. Nobody wanted the sign the former Braves closer for fear of the fans reaction. Another great example is Barry Bonds. The Home Run King was ridiculed in every place he played because of his alleged steroid use. The only place he was welcomed with open arms was in his home city of San Francisco. Even the Giants organization though, turned their back on Bonds when his contract expired and since no other team wanted the negativity that came with signing Bonds, he has been sitting on the sidelines for two seasons, just waiting to help some team.

Most recently, the example that exemplifies this is Milton Bradley. He has bounced around from team to team, alienating fans, pissing off the home town media and basically making a spectacle of himself. In the past couple of weeks, The Toronto Blue Jays have been linked to Bradley. This move would no doubt help the team become a contender in the American League East. It would allow them to move the power of Adam Lind to first base and put a power hitting outfielder in right field daily instead of platooning good defensive, but light hitting players. The Jays, with a young General Manager looking to make his mark might opt for a bold move like bringing in Bradley, but the Toronto faithful have never really been exposed to a player like him and he might make the GM's first move a bust.

The NBA has also had its share of bad boys and one of them got dealt yesterday - Stephen Jackson. S-Jax to his friends, Jackson was traded from the Warriors to the Bobcats. This comes after Jackson talked poorly about the organization and his coach, Don Nelson. So why would Charlotte welcome him? If he can help them squeeze into the playoffs then he is someone worth having on the roster. His impact is being felt immediately as he STARTED last night for the 'Cats, finishing with 13 points and 9 rebounds. That just shows you the talent he brings to the table.

Other players in a similar situation recently have included Ron Artest, Stephon Marbury and Rasheed Wallace. All of these players have talent, it just takes the right situation (think Dennis Rodman with the Chicago Bulls) to be able to harness their energy and passion for the game and allow them to flourish.

Can you think of other bad boys? Would you bring a notorious bad boy to help your team win?

Are you an All-Star?

Well it is six games into the NBA season and it is tough to tell the difference between the haves and the have nots. There have already been some injuries (and a retirement) that will affect teams for extended periods of the season, and some weird results from the hometown Toronto Raptors - beating the Cavs but getting blown out by the Grizzlies.

None of these factors though apparently matter to the NBA who released the nominees for the All-Star game that is taking place in Dallas in February 14. You can now go vote on nba.com for your favs, because it obviously at this point in time you aren't voting for someone based on production.

For Raptor Truthers you can go vote for Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.

The other thing that stands out by looking at the list of East and West nominees is that the centre position which was once dominated by teams in the Western conference is now owned by the East. Going to be tough for the coach to choose guys from a list that will include Shaq, Dwight Howard, Al Horford, Tyson Chandler, Andrew Bogut and up and coming star Brook Lopez. Compared to the West where the leading candidates include Andrew Bynum or Marcus Camby.

Here are my early predictions on the starting 5;
EAST
G-Derrick Rose
G-Dwayne Wade
F-LeBron James
F-Kevin Garnett
C-Dwight Howard

WEST
G-Chris Paul
G-Kobe Bryant
F-Carmelo Anthony
F-Kevin Durant
C-Amare Stoudamire

Here is a list of the rest of the nominees;
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/raptors_allstar_release_111009.html

Raptor Land

The only professional sports team in Toronto this year with a chance not to alienate and anger its fans are the Toronto Raptors. Although, it wouldn’t take much for the “Raptor Truthers” as Bill Simmons puts it to get upset at the team, they just have some more rope to play with since of all the off season moves.

Bryan Colangelo went to great lengths this winter to save his job and regain the mantle of “executive of the year”. Although, he gets an ‘A’ for effort, all the moves may not pay off this year because of the talent in the east (Cavs, Magic and Celtics) and they may not be good for the future as the moves have a negative impact on the salary cap.

So, a new look Raptor squad will take the floor on October 28 to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Air Canada Centre for the first of many Eastern Conference tests. Let’s look closer as to who the Raptors will send out there to try to be the beasts of the east…

Front Court
Chris Bosh – F
The all-star is going into his contract year so we should expect a big year.
Andrea Bargnani – C
Il Magico has put on some extra muscle this off season and if he can work as well inside as he does outside it should give the Raptors some great match-ups.
Hedo Turkoglu - F
The prize off season acquisition will provide some clutch shooting, but no defense.

Back Court
Jose Calderon – PG
Expecting another great year of free throw shooting and running the show from the Spaniard. If he can avoid injury, he should be good enough to guide the attack.
DeMar DeRozan – SG
The high flying rookie will remind a lot of people of Vince Carter – but only for his dunking ability. He will run the court, and is better defensively then the options coming off the bench, the reason he gets the start.

Bench
Marco Belinelli – SG
If Coach Triano opts for energy off the bench, than Belinelli could get the start at SG. He was coming into his own the last few years, so Colangelo is hoping he breaks out as a Raptor.
Jarrett Jack – PG
Much has been made of Bosh’s university teammate. Getting pushed for playing time is good for Calderon (see Ford, TJ).
Rasho Nestorvic – C
Back as a Raptor, he will provide 5 hard fouls a night in a limited role.
Amir Johnson, Antoine Wright and Reggie Evans – G-F
The log-jam at SG and SF is with these guys, all are viable options and it will be a game by game decision on who gets more playing time. Reggie Evans will become a fan favorite if given the chance to play minutes.

If the Raptors have to go to man 11 or 12 it is not a good sign. Although deeper than previous years, the options are not fantastic. Players you might see if the Raptors get into injury trouble include;
Sonny Weems, Quincy Douby, Patrick O’Bryant and Marcus Banks


Where will this team finish in the standings. A lot depends as always on injuries, but more this year, it also depends on how all the new parts are able to work together with the big 3 (Bosh, Bargnani and Calderon). Here is how I predict the finish of the eastern conference…

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Boston Celtics
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Washington Wizards
9. Miami Heat
10. Detroit Pistons
11. Charlotte Bobcats
12. New York Knicks

Cleveland Cavaliers beat Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals
Los Angeles Lakers beat San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals

Los Angeles Lakers beat Cleveland in the NBA Finals

I Never Thougth It Would Happen To Me

On my daily surfing of the interwebs, there are always links to auto-complete Google searches that are funny and innappropriate in the same breath.

Well someone at ticketmaster has a good sense of humour today. While searching for Mariah Carey tickets (don't ask), my security question to complete was the following...



You read that correctly - "blond-haired trash" - I had to giggle and by then the tickets were sold out.

Escaping the National Pastime

My nightmare that lasts from the first day of fall until the first day of summer has started - Hockey!

As one of the few sports fans in Canada that does not enjoy the national pastime of the Great White North, it is a difficult existence. All year round I deal with the threat of hockey highlights, from free agents signing in the middle of August to the lead story every night on the sports shows from October to April.

Here are my five survival tips for avoiding all things hockey...

1. Skip the first 15 minutes of SportsCentre and the last 5 minutes. That gives you a good full 5 minutes in the second half of the show to find out all the news you need to know about the NFL, NCAA, the NBA and soccer.

2. Do not listen to sports radio in any major Canadian market. Most of these talk show hosts will try to get fans of the home town team fired up by making ridiculous claims. If you do need a sports fix, try ESPN radio online or available through XM. Much more variety and because hockey isn't all that popular in the States, they almost NEVER talk hockey.

3. Avoid the cover of the Toronto Sun. The tabloid rag that is well known because of its sunshine girls (a lesser version of the page 3 girls in the UK), will no doubt have a Maple Leaf/Hockey related cover 5 out of 7 days of the week.

4. Find a good bar on Saturday night. Not just any bar though, you have to make sure this is a classy place without tv's (because any tv, in any bar will show the hockey game). Plus, being at the bar let's you interact with the opposite sex who aren't that interested in sports.

5. Immerse yourself in the sport that should control your winter - the NBA. The NBA is going through a great time. There are marquee players all over the league. Guys that create awesome highlights, can single handily take over games and a rabid fan base. Not saying hockey doesn't have some of these great players and there are 6 cities that have good fans, but when 75% of your goals are scored by deflected shots and on power plays something is wrong. Learn to enjoy the NBA, it is as fast-paced, just like hockey, played in the same arena's and the players are all over twitter! I love this game!

Music Monday

Over the past couple of weeks their have been several huge releases from the hip hop community - Kid Cudi, Jay-Z and Raekwon top the list. So if you haven't picked up those albums yet (or downloaded them), get to it.

This week's music monday track is from 50 Cent. Pushed to the back by other hot NYC artist the King wants to reclaim his throne. With an album set to drop in the next quarter look for more singles to be hitting the top 40 charts, this is set to be the first

50 Cent ft. Ester Dean - Hard Rock

An upbeat song with some definite dance influences, it will get crowds moving.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame - Next Year...

Every Tuesday I wait for Gregg Easterbrook to release his Tuesday Morning Quarterback during the NFL season. One of his weekly features is the "Christmas Creep" portion of the column where readers write in to tell him that in the middle of July the local hardware store or Hallmark has set up their Santa Claus displays.

Well apparently Major League Baseball has written in to Easterbrook to try and get in next week's column. Major League Baseball decided to release the 2010 schedule while the 2009 season is still in progress.

No other professional league does this - football releases their schedule in April, basketball and hockey release it in July, so why did baseball have to jump the line? The reason is that baseball is getting pushed to page 6 by the NFL, college football and in Canada the start of hockey season. One way to get attention in this jam packed sports month is to let fans know that you have excitement coming even if nothing, like the playoff races, are exciting at the moment.

Of course the headline was that ESPN's best friends the Yankees and Red Sox will open and close the season against each other. The home town Toronto Blue Jays, whose schedule only matters until about mid-July until they fall apart - open the season on the road vs. Texas and Baltimore and then return to SkyDome for their home opener vs. the Chicago White Sox. Interleague play starts in June with the Jays going to Colorado and San Diego, then play St. Louis, San Francisco and Philadelphia at home. August, just in time for the late season swoon looks like it could be the worst month ever - 6 games vs. the Yankees, 6 vs. the Red Sox, and 5 vs. Tampa Bay and then series vs. Detroit, Oakland and Detroit - OUCH! If they survive August, they finish the season with a homestand vs. Seattle and New York and then the final four are in Minnesota.

Still an eternity away from the first pitch of the 2010 season, but as fans of baseball and the Jays we can always look forward to the first pitch.

2010 schedule

Fantasy vs. Reality

Sunday was the first game of the new NFL season. Everyone was excited to welcome in the new year. Fans prepared with elaborate tailgate rituals at stadiums or populated bars with buddies and couches were full of fat asses, beer, pop and potato chip crumbs.

What were fans really that excited about though? Was it the NFL or was it Fantasy Football?

Fantasy Football has taken over as the most watched sport on Sunday's. Everyone watches for certain players rather than teams. If your home team wins it is a bonus on a Sunday afternoon compared to if your fantasy team wins.

People are now involved in multiple leagues with different groups of friends or work colleagues, so many in fact that you can watch any game and have a vested interest. Even the Denver vs. Cincinnati game on the weekend, you could watch because Brandon Marshall was a late round steal, but you started him anyway since he wasn't suspended. You watched all game hoping Kyle Orton would target him and Tony Scheffler wouldn't steal a red zone touchdown.

I should have been happy with the Donovan McNabb injury (not in a mean way, just as a fan of a rival NFC team), but I couldn't take pleasure in it, since I have him as my QB on one of my teams (that team sucks). What should take precedence here?

Football and other sports were always worried gambling on the games was bad for the sport, but could fantasy football be worse? With nobody cheering for teams, people deciding to watch the games from their couch so they can follow all of their fantasy players and as the rapper Wale recently said "you ain't nothing until you spend $10 000 on fantasy football" could the games actually get corrupted?

Lots of questions and not alot of answers...do you think Fantasy Football is ruining the NFL or is the best thing that ever happened to it?

Snack of the Day

For Week 1 of the NFL season, everyone is optimistic about their team, even Detroit Lions fans - well maybe not.

Unfortunately, some fan bases can't get excited about the new season because their fav franchise hasn't done enough in the offseason to improve or they made some strange moves right before the season like firing their offensive coordinators (Bills, Chiefs and Bucs, looking at you).

For those fans, this is the perfect snack of the day...

Sour Patch Kids

Super Bowl XLIV

Everyone has been waiting with baited breath to see which teams the Sandwich Shoppe predicts for the Super Bowl in Miami this February. After lots of debate, reviewing the game tapes and picking names out of a hat, this is the playoff and Super Bowl predictions;

Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions

AFC
Patriots
Chargers
Colts
Steelers

Wild Card:
Ravens
Titans

AFC Divisional Championship
Chargers vs. Colts


NFC
Eagles
Packers
Seahawks
Falcons

Wild Card:
Saints
Vikings

NFC Divisional Championship
Packers vs. Falcons


Super Bowl
Falcons vs. Chargers

Champions
San Diego Chargers


It's not going out on limb much by picking a 9-1 team to win the Super Bowl, but this team has so much talent. The issue this year will be them keeping focused on winning football games rather than twittering (Merriman and Cromartie), staying out of trouble with the law (Merriman) and away from injuries (Merriman and Tomlinson).

As always, looking forward to an entertaining year is expected from the NFL.

NFL Preview - Part II

Here is the other side of most superficial NFL preview.

NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles – Who did they sign in the off season, I didn’t hear? The Eagles were very close to appearing in the Super Bowl last year and improved themselves on both sides of the ball. They did lose a couple of key clubhouse members, one being Brian Dawkins. Also, they lost outstanding LB Stewart Bradley in the first practice of the year with a torn ACL. They will be strong contenders.

Dallas Cowboys – Who did they lose in the off season, I didn’t hear? Tony Romo has a great backfield in Marion Barber and Felix Jones, we just aren’t sure who he will be throwing the ball to besides Jason Witten. The defense is strong and the special teams will be a show all season while at home because of the giant scoreboard in the middle of the field.

New York Giants – Recently the Giants released Super Bowl hero David Tyree, another more significant loss was running back Derrick Ward to Tampa. That leaves Brandon Jacobs as “thunder” without the “lightning”. The Giants will have a chip on their shoulder this season, but in the back of their minds will always be questioning how good they could have been with Plaxico Burress.

Washington Redskins – Jason Campbell was supposed to be the next one in Washington, but the Redskins decided to spend all summer trying to acquire another quarterback. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back with all the drama surrounding him. Clinton Portis and Santana Moss lead the offense and Albert Haynesworth will take his big contract and try and clog the middle of the defense. It will be a long season for the ‘Skins.

NFC North
Green Bay Packers – You all know that I am a Packers fan, so you shouldn’t be surprised I pick them to win the division. With tons of weapons on offense, Rodgers, Ryan Grant, Donald Lee, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, the Pack won’t have trouble putting up points. Last year’s problem of stopping people from getting points will hopefully be solved by going to the 3-4 defense. This might take some sting out of Aaron Kampman, but LB Nick Barnett will be a force on the field and off with his twitter ramblings.

Minnesota Vikings – The QB that shall not be named will lead a formidable offense. Adrian Peterson is one of the most dominant running backs in the game. He still has games where he disappears and has a tendency to fumble. The defense is going to be tough, led by Jared Allen. These guys will be good, but just like the past two seasons, expect the QB to be the downfall late in the season.

Chicago Bears – The Jay Cutler era begins in Chicago. The first pro-bowl caliber QB to start in almost 20 years in the windy city. The Bears have the same problem as many other middle of the road clubs, no real threat at wide receiver and a tough schedule. Matt Forte hopes there is no sophomore slump in his future, because he we will once again the most touches out of anyone on the roster. The defense will again be led Brian Urlacher and must avoid injuries to have a shot at the playoffs.

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons – The surprise team from last year, won’t sneak up on anyone this year and they have even made themselves better. They acquired TE Tony Gonzalez as another target for QB Matt Ryan. Also at his finger tips will be RB Michael Turner and WR Roddy White.

New Orleans Saints – Can Drew Brees replicate his near record breaking season? I doubt it, but he has the tools to try and make it happen. Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston and Devery Henderson all can make an impact. The Saints will be in lots of high scoring games this season and if the defense can hold up their end up of the bargain, the Saints could be very dangerous.

Carolina Panthers – Will Jake Delhomme be able to recover from throwing four interceptions in the playoffs last season. Panthers fan hopes he has a short memory or it leads him to handing the ball off to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart all season. Either way, it looks like the Panthers have missed their window to make a run at the Super Bowl.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – This is a team in transition. No starting quarterback that is going to put the fear into any defense. There is nothing good to say hear other than, welcome back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams. When he plays in week 1 vs. Dallas, he will become the first player to return from surgery on both his patella tendons. Impressive!

NFC West
Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks consistently were winning this division, because everyone else in the division sucked so bad. Finally, someone stood up to them and combine that with having a huge amount of injuries, the Seahawks fell hard. They should return to form this year with a healthy Matt Hasselback, TJ Whosyourmomma, Deion Branch. Their only suspect position is at running back. A strong defensive line and linebacker core will hold opponents at bay.

Arizona Cardinals – It has been a trend for the Super Bowl runner-up not to make the playoffs the following season. It will continue this year. The Cards are one injury to Kurt Warner to being in lots of trouble, no matter if they have the most talented wide receiver core in the league. Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells will combine to form a young and potentially dominant backfield. It will need to be seen if they can get enough touches though. The Cards changed defensive coordinators after losing the Super Bowl, but don’t know if that will be enough.

San Francisco 49ers – It has been a while since the bay area saw a winning team and it will be another season. The Niners have decided that Shaun Hill is their man this year. He should have the support of top pick Michael Crabtree, but after some bad advice and thinking he should have gone higher in the draft he is holding out and it looks like his rookie season is lost. Frank Gore is still a hard-nosed runner who can take over a game, if the Niners get up on a team. Patrick Willis is one of the best linebackers in the game. He covers the entire field and will keep opposing quarterback’s on their toes.

St. Louis Rams – They suck.

The World’s Most Superficial NFL Preview

The following is the most superficial preview of the 2009 NFL season that kicks off Thursday night with the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers versus the team with the best regular season record last year, the Tennessee Titans. It should be an interesting season full of twists, turns and surprises. Will the Detroit Lions win a game? Will Tony Romo date another blonde singer? Will Brett Favre retire and unretire again – that won’t be a surprise, he will….

Without further ado, preview and predictions…

AFC East
New England Patriots – Tom Brady returns. That is the story line for the franchise this season. Bill Belichek proved he could win without his star quarterback, but it will be much easier with Brady behind center. The defense is special and led by Jared Mayo who will be one of the best linebackers in football in the next couple of seasons.

Buffalo Bills – Terrell Owens make his presence known. The Bills made a splash in the offseason with by signing the malcontent wide receiver. Will he make the offence better? It hasn’t worked so far in the preseason as the Bills fired after the last pre-season game. They have a favorable schedule and if they can run the K-Gun properly their playoff drought will end.

Miami Dolphins – After a huge turnaround last season the Dolphins, they will try to repeat the fate. The schedule gets more difficult and Chad Pennington’s arm is likely to fall off at any given time. Also, now that the wildcat is out of the bag, defense coordinators around the league will be ready.

New York Jets – Dirty Sanchez. The rookie QB will try to turn around the fortunes of the Jets, but it will be difficult when both running backs are unhappy with their contracts, no star receiver to throw to and a mediocre defense. On a positive note they get to move into a beautiful new stadium next year.

AFC West
San Diego Chargers – The cream of the division. They could easily go 6-0 in the division. They feature one of the best offenses. LT, Phillip Rivers, Gates and Vincent Jackson. A fast, hard hitting defense who are ball hawks will make the offenses job that much easier.

Kansas City Chiefs – A new regime in KC. They brought in players this offseason that know how to win. A new starting QB in Matt Cassell is in the spotlight and he will work well with outstanding WR Dwayne Bowe. Larry Johnson was once an elite running back. He has been hurt the last couple of seasons, but with some pressure off of the running game, he has a chance to return to form. If last year’s first round pick Glenn Dorsey can be a force on the inside, this team will have a chance at .500.

Denver Broncos – Another new regime, however this transition has not been smooth. Rookie head coach Josh McDaniel immediately lost the confidence in his QB Jay Cutler and had to trade him to Chicago. Now he has pissed off star receiver Brandon Marshall. To win in the NFL you need all-pro’s, McDaniel has lost two already.

Oakland Raiders – What to say about this mess. JaMarcus Russell needs to be better and he will get his chance. After bringing in Jeff Garcia to be the back up, he was unexpectedly released at the end of the pre-season. Russell has weapons at his disposal. Running back Darren McFadden is explosive and is a game changer. They also drafted wide receiver Darius Hayward-Bay who has 4XL size hands. Russell should be able to throw it anywhere and this guy should catch it. Russell will get more help in the 2010 draft when the Raiders draft near the top…

AFC South
Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning does not like to lose. He works too hard for the Colts not to come back and be on top of this division. Manning still has Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez will be a much bigger part of this offense. Rookie running back from UCONN Donald Brown will partner with Joseph Addai to form a great backfield.

Tennesse Titans – Vince Young wants to win a Super Bowl and be the MVP. He might have a chance to get the ring, but it will be as a back-up unless he Tonya Harding’s Kerry Collins. LenDale White comes to camp 40 lbs lighter because he didn’t drink Patron tequila in the offseason. The defense loses overrated nosetackle Albert Haynesworth. Anyone who is only on the field for only two downs a series can’t be that important.

Houston Texans – It is always a “breakout” year for the Texans. They seem to have the talent to push them over the top, but play in a tough division that won’t let them get over the hump. No one is questioning that decision to choose Mario Williams first overall anymore and he should make his first appearance in the pro bowl this season. Having a chance to join him in Miami this year will be running back Steve Slaton and wide receiver Andre Johnson should be there again.

Jacksonville Jaguars – This team is in transition. David Garrard needs to prove that he is a top quarterback otherwise they will have to re-tool. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much to work with because Torry Holt comes in as the number one receiver. One player he can use and will be used all the time is Maurice Jones-Drew. A top fantasy player MJD will get lots of touches since all-time Jag is Fred Taylor is now with the Pats.

AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers – The defending Super Bowl champions will be in the picture again this season. The defense is one of the best in the NFL and can pressure from all angles because of their depth at linebacker. Big Ben still has Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to work with as well as Fast Willie Parker and the return of Rashard Mendenhall who returns after a season ending injury last year in the first couple weeks of the season. A tough opponent all season.
Baltimore Ravens – Sophomore Slump? Joe Flacco hopes not. He will work hard to keep up the success he had last season and his weapons return. The dependable Derrick Mason and the exciting Ray Rice. The defense will always be the story in B-More though with Ray Lewis and his intimidating presence.

Cincinnati Bengals – Carson Palmer hopes somebody shows up to play on Sunday’s with him. After the HBO Hard Knocks series followed them around during training camp it seems they are a loose clubhouse (child, please), but will that translate into wins. First round pick Andre Smith held out, reported overweight and then broke his foot in his second practice. It will be a tough season for Cincy, but they do have the best named cheerleading squad in the NFL – the Ben-Gals.

Cleveland Browns – Oh Shit! Brady Quinn will start at QB, but Derek Anderson is waiting in the wings just in case. Braylon Edwards is still an elite wide receiver, he just needs a consistent presence at quarterback. The defense is led by linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. He is one of the best in the NFL and if the Browns aren’t careful he will end up on someone else’s roster before the Browns are at the top of the heap.